Which Team Would San Antonio Spurs’ Manu Ginobili Rather Play in NBA Finals?

By Michael Terrill

Nelson Chenault-USA TODAY Sports

It does not matter whom the San Antonio Spurs face in the 2013 NBA Finals because the team is just happy for an opportunity to win another championship. With that being said, shooting guard Manu Ginobili certainly has his own opinion on which team he would personally rather play in the final series.

The 35-year-old has enjoyed watching the Eastern Conference Finals because it has given him a great opportunity to study two worthy opponents. With the Indiana Pacers forcing a Game 7 after their 91-77 blowout against the Miami Heat on Saturday night, the Spurs will finally get to see whom they will play.

Ginobili has stated that he would like to see the Pacers defeat the Heat in Game 7, but it is not for the reason most fans would expect.

“It’s not that we pull (for Indiana),” Ginobili said, according to the San Antonio Express-News. “I think this time it’s different than before because of the home-court advantage. It is a big difference. It’s not definitive. It doesn’t mean that whoever has home-court advantage is going to win. But we all prefer to have a Game 7 at home than on the road if we could get to that point. But besides that, different styles, I think we can match up with both.”

That’s right. Ginobili would rather play Indiana because that means San Antonio gets home-court advantage. The desire to face the Pacers has nothing to do with the fact that the Heat has three dominant All-Stars mixed in with terrific perimeter shooters. Home-court advantage and the fact the Spurs match up well with the Pacers is the entire reasoning behind his thought process.

Ginobili might have hoped for this after brushing up on his NBA Finals history. That is because 13 of the last 20 teams with home-court advantage in the finals went on to win. With that being said, the last two teams with the advantage lost to their counterparts.